Review: Van Halen Kicks Off two thousand fifteen Tour With a Monster 2-Hour, 25-Song Set
The very first album I ever bought with my own money was Van Halen’s self-titled debut at Cellophane Square in Bellingham; we’ll just say in the late 70’s. I’d heard parts of the album in a friend’s car and was sucked away by the noises the band was making. These noises were somewhat fresh to me however as I’d been raised on a stable diet of Elvis Presley, traditional country and a little bit of blues. At that point in my life, if a hard rock band like Van Halen wasn’t being played on AM radio and didn’t have top forty hits, I likely didn’t know about them. Sure, I lived a few doors down from Randy Bachman at the time and everyone loved BTO, but even then, all I’d truly heard from them was what was on the radio.
But when I discovered Van Halen, I instantly fell in love with the electrical guitar and literally could not get enough of it; still can’t. That’s not to say I don’t like or love other music (even some with no guitar at all… gasp) but my very first love will always be the electrical guitar and I have Edward Van Halen to thank for that.
Much has been said about Van Halen recently as the hype was building in prep for the now current tour. Sam and Dave took pot shots at each other in the national media, Eddie and Sam blasted each other with well-crafted PR articles in Loudwire….etc. I attempted to disregard that stuff, because it was taking away some of the joy for me, albeit I understand the media game and, well, the display and tour was pretty well-hyped, right? So it worked.
Sunday night, out in the middle of a bunch of cow pastures, nestled on a plateau above Auburn, Washington, Van Halen took the stage at White Sea Amphitheater for the very first showcase of the North American gam of the two thousand fifteen tour. The energy inwards the venue was at a crazy level as the show-goers were anticipating a monster demonstrate, and that’s what they got. Kenny Wayne Shephard blew the roof off and some minds in the process with a sweeping set, but we’ll be talking about him in a different review.
I was fortunate enough to be standing in the photo pit when the house lights went down, signifying that it was showcase time. Alex Van Halen waltzed out on stage very first, followed by the rest of the band, Alex’s brother Eddie Van Halen, David Lee Roth and Eddie’s son Wolfgang Van Halen, who substitutes Michael Anthony on the bass and backing vocals. I’ve read many things on the internet that said Wolfie could never substitute Michael Anthony, but I’d greatly beg to differ about that. Now, I love Michael and his contributions to Van Halen – I’ve even interviewed him and he’s a truly good fellow to talk to – but people have to recall that Wolfie has been listening to and jamming with his dad and uncle for a long, long time. He likely knows these songs as well as anyone on the planet (including Mike), and he totally proved that in Auburn on July Five, 2015. I can’t think of one time when he missed a note on the bass and the harmonies with his pops were spot on. In fact, if someone didn’t see who was on the bass and backing vocals I’d bet they couldn’t even tell the difference. In my opinion, the only people that “think” they can tell the difference are Van Halen purists. And let’s be clear: Wolfie is not coming to Van Halen from the “rent-a-bassist” program. His uncle and dad are in the band and as far as I’m worried he is the fellow and should be from now on.
The beginning of the set let the sun-drenched crowd know what to expect as they flew into “Light Up the Sky”, which they haven’t played live for over thirty five years, and the tone was set. Now, I know a lot of people were expecting this to be an absolute trainwreck after some of the latest TV appearances, but you have to understand that Dave is Dave, he always has been and always will be like this. Van Halen is not the kind of band that you go to see to hear every song exactly as it is emerges on the album, at least from Dave’s angle. That said, he did a excellent job on the vocals proving that, and I’ve been telling this for a long, long time, he can sing when he wants to. During that very first number, Eddie was acute and instantly on his game; with him and his son and brother all on the same page, they killed that song and the crowd was in a madness just minutes into the gig. Then came the sirens and “Running With the Satan” and Dave once again delivered the goods and, haters be damned, sang that as good as he ever has live.
I don’t think any of us have the time to run through a play-by-play of each and every song (they played twenty five songs in a two hour set) and this review would be several thousand words long, but the highlights of the night certainly were the very first two, but then add songs like “Drop Dead Gams” and “Dirty Movies” that they’ve never performed live and you get the sense that this was a special night.
After a spirited version of “I’ll Wait” from the band’s ‘1984′ album, Ed’s brother Alex got the stage all to himself and once a build up proved that he is a force to be reckoned with on the kit. He tormented the skins as he sat back with his trademark mirrored shades on and double-bass drum set up with the prominent VH logo to either side and when he was done, stood up as the raucous crowd screamed, clapped and threw up their arms in loving approval of his mad abilities.
It’s hard to find the right amount of the right superlatives that describe Eddie Van Halen on the guitar live. He’s one of those infrequent guitarists that is so in tune with his instrument that it almost plays him instead of vice versa. His playing was amazingly taut and, of course, his unmistakable monster tone was top-notch. Eddie also looked very, very healthy and, with a smile on his face all night long, he was having a blast. During his trademark guitar solo that gives the rest of the band a break, he proved he is a guitar god, unlike anyone else on the planet. These seven-plus minutes of absolute guitar nirvana had the audience in an awestruck trance that everybody there would’ve been fine with being stuck in for the rest of their lives.
About four or five songs in, Ed and Dave knuckle bumped and that feel-good moment made the crowd glad. We all know about their history, so to see them once again connect like this on stage was special. Later on in the night after a “strongly improvised” version of “You Indeed Got Me”, the two shook forearms, which was another awesome view.
Review: Van Halen Kicks Off two thousand fifteen Tour With a Monster 2-Hour, 25-Song Set, Van Halen News Desk
Review: Van Halen Kicks Off two thousand fifteen Tour With a Monster 2-Hour, 25-Song Set
The very first album I ever bought with my own money was Van Halen’s self-titled debut at Cellophane Square in Bellingham; we’ll just say in the late 70’s. I’d heard parts of the album in a friend’s car and was sucked away by the noises the band was making. These noises were somewhat fresh to me tho’ as I’d been raised on a stable diet of Elvis Presley, traditional country and a little bit of blues. At that point in my life, if a hard rock band like Van Halen wasn’t being played on AM radio and didn’t have top forty hits, I likely didn’t know about them. Sure, I lived a few doors down from Randy Bachman at the time and everyone loved BTO, but even then, all I’d indeed heard from them was what was on the radio.
But when I discovered Van Halen, I instantly fell in love with the electrical guitar and literally could not get enough of it; still can’t. That’s not to say I don’t like or love other music (even some with no guitar at all… gasp) but my very first love will always be the electrical guitar and I have Edward Van Halen to thank for that.
Much has been said about Van Halen recently as the hype was building in prep for the now current tour. Sam and Dave took pot shots at each other in the national media, Eddie and Sam blasted each other with well-crafted PR articles in Loudwire….etc. I attempted to overlook that stuff, because it was taking away some of the joy for me, albeit I understand the media game and, well, the showcase and tour was pretty well-hyped, right? So it worked.
Sunday night, out in the middle of a bunch of cow pastures, nestled on a plateau above Auburn, Washington, Van Halen took the stage at White Sea Amphitheater for the very first demonstrate of the North American gam of the two thousand fifteen tour. The energy inwards the venue was at a crazy level as the show-goers were anticipating a monster demonstrate, and that’s what they got. Kenny Wayne Shephard blew the roof off and some minds in the process with a impetuous set, but we’ll be talking about him in a different review.
I was fortunate enough to be standing in the photo pit when the house lights went down, signifying that it was display time. Alex Van Halen waltzed out on stage very first, followed by the rest of the band, Alex’s brother Eddie Van Halen, David Lee Roth and Eddie’s son Wolfgang Van Halen, who substitutes Michael Anthony on the bass and backing vocals. I’ve read many things on the internet that said Wolfie could never substitute Michael Anthony, but I’d greatly beg to differ about that. Now, I love Michael and his contributions to Van Halen – I’ve even interviewed him and he’s a indeed excellent stud to talk to – but people have to reminisce that Wolfie has been listening to and jamming with his dad and uncle for a long, long time. He likely knows these songs as well as anyone on the planet (including Mike), and he totally proved that in Auburn on July Five, 2015. I can’t think of one time when he missed a note on the bass and the harmonies with his pops were spot on. In fact, if someone didn’t see who was on the bass and backing vocals I’d bet they couldn’t even tell the difference. In my opinion, the only people that “think” they can tell the difference are Van Halen purists. And let’s be clear: Wolfie is not coming to Van Halen from the “rent-a-bassist” program. His uncle and dad are in the band and as far as I’m worried he is the boy and should be from now on.
The beginning of the set let the sun-drenched crowd know what to expect as they flew into “Light Up the Sky”, which they haven’t played live for over thirty five years, and the tone was set. Now, I know a lot of people were expecting this to be an absolute trainwreck after some of the latest TV appearances, but you have to understand that Dave is Dave, he always has been and always will be like this. Van Halen is not the kind of band that you go to see to hear every song exactly as it is shows up on the album, at least from Dave’s angle. That said, he did a excellent job on the vocals proving that, and I’ve been telling this for a long, long time, he can sing when he wants to. During that very first number, Eddie was acute and instantly on his game; with him and his son and brother all on the same page, they killed that song and the crowd was in a madness just minutes into the gig. Then came the sirens and “Running With the Satan” and Dave once again delivered the goods and, haters be damned, sang that as good as he ever has live.
I don’t think any of us have the time to run through a play-by-play of each and every song (they played twenty five songs in a two hour set) and this review would be several thousand words long, but the highlights of the night certainly were the very first two, but then add songs like “Drop Dead Gams” and “Dirty Movies” that they’ve never performed live and you get the sense that this was a special night.
After a spirited version of “I’ll Wait” from the band’s ‘1984′ album, Ed’s brother Alex got the stage all to himself and once a build up proved that he is a force to be reckoned with on the kit. He tantalized the skins as he sat back with his trademark mirrored shades on and double-bass drum set up with the prominent VH logo to either side and when he was done, stood up as the raucous crowd screamed, clapped and threw up their arms in loving approval of his mad abilities.
It’s hard to find the right amount of the right superlatives that describe Eddie Van Halen on the guitar live. He’s one of those uncommon guitarists that is so in tune with his instrument that it almost plays him instead of vice versa. His playing was exceptionally taut and, of course, his unmistakable monster tone was top-notch. Eddie also looked very, very healthy and, with a smile on his face all night long, he was having a blast. During his trademark guitar solo that gives the rest of the band a break, he proved he is a guitar god, unlike anyone else on the planet. These seven-plus minutes of absolute guitar nirvana had the audience in an awestruck trance that everybody there would’ve been fine with being stuck in for the rest of their lives.
About four or five songs in, Ed and Dave knuckle bumped and that feel-good moment made the crowd blessed. We all know about their history, so to see them once again connect like this on stage was special. Later on in the night after a “powerfully improvised” version of “You Indeed Got Me”, the two shook palms, which was another awesome view.
Review: Van Halen Kicks Off two thousand fifteen Tour With a Monster 2-Hour, 25-Song Set, Van Halen News Desk
Review: Van Halen Kicks Off two thousand fifteen Tour With a Monster 2-Hour, 25-Song Set
The very first album I ever bought with my own money was Van Halen’s self-titled debut at Cellophane Square in Bellingham; we’ll just say in the late 70’s. I’d heard parts of the album in a friend’s car and was deep-throated away by the noises the band was making. These noises were somewhat fresh to me however as I’d been raised on a stable diet of Elvis Presley, traditional country and a little bit of blues. At that point in my life, if a hard rock band like Van Halen wasn’t being played on AM radio and didn’t have top forty hits, I likely didn’t know about them. Sure, I lived a few doors down from Randy Bachman at the time and everyone loved BTO, but even then, all I’d truly heard from them was what was on the radio.
But when I discovered Van Halen, I instantly fell in love with the electrical guitar and literally could not get enough of it; still can’t. That’s not to say I don’t like or love other music (even some with no guitar at all… gasp) but my very first love will always be the electrified guitar and I have Edward Van Halen to thank for that.
Much has been said about Van Halen recently as the hype was building in prep for the now current tour. Sam and Dave took pot shots at each other in the national media, Eddie and Sam blasted each other with well-crafted PR articles in Loudwire….etc. I attempted to disregard that stuff, because it was taking away some of the joy for me, albeit I understand the media game and, well, the display and tour was pretty well-hyped, right? So it worked.
Sunday night, out in the middle of a bunch of cow pastures, nestled on a plateau above Auburn, Washington, Van Halen took the stage at White Sea Amphitheater for the very first demonstrate of the North American gam of the two thousand fifteen tour. The energy inwards the venue was at a crazy level as the show-goers were anticipating a monster demonstrate, and that’s what they got. Kenny Wayne Shephard blew the roof off and some minds in the process with a impetuous set, but we’ll be talking about him in a different review.
I was fortunate enough to be standing in the photo pit when the house lights went down, signifying that it was showcase time. Alex Van Halen waltzed out on stage very first, followed by the rest of the band, Alex’s brother Eddie Van Halen, David Lee Roth and Eddie’s son Wolfgang Van Halen, who substitutes Michael Anthony on the bass and backing vocals. I’ve read many things on the internet that said Wolfie could never substitute Michael Anthony, but I’d greatly beg to differ about that. Now, I love Michael and his contributions to Van Halen – I’ve even interviewed him and he’s a indeed superb boy to talk to – but people have to recall that Wolfie has been listening to and jamming with his dad and uncle for a long, long time. He likely knows these songs as well as anyone on the planet (including Mike), and he totally proved that in Auburn on July Five, 2015. I can’t think of one time when he missed a note on the bass and the harmonies with his pops were spot on. In fact, if someone didn’t see who was on the bass and backing vocals I’d bet they couldn’t even tell the difference. In my opinion, the only people that “think” they can tell the difference are Van Halen purists. And let’s be clear: Wolfie is not coming to Van Halen from the “rent-a-bassist” program. His uncle and dad are in the band and as far as I’m worried he is the dude and should be from now on.
The beginning of the set let the sun-drenched crowd know what to expect as they flew into “Light Up the Sky”, which they haven’t played live for over thirty five years, and the tone was set. Now, I know a lot of people were expecting this to be an absolute trainwreck after some of the latest TV appearances, but you have to understand that Dave is Dave, he always has been and always will be like this. Van Halen is not the kind of band that you go to see to hear every song exactly as it is emerges on the album, at least from Dave’s angle. That said, he did a excellent job on the vocals proving that, and I’ve been telling this for a long, long time, he can sing when he wants to. During that very first number, Eddie was acute and instantly on his game; with him and his son and brother all on the same page, they killed that song and the crowd was in a madness just minutes into the gig. Then came the sirens and “Running With the Demon” and Dave once again delivered the goods and, haters be damned, sang that as good as he ever has live.
I don’t think any of us have the time to run through a play-by-play of each and every song (they played twenty five songs in a two hour set) and this review would be several thousand words long, but the highlights of the night certainly were the very first two, but then add songs like “Drop Dead Gams” and “Dirty Movies” that they’ve never performed live and you get the sense that this was a special night.
After a spirited version of “I’ll Wait” from the band’s ‘1984′ album, Ed’s brother Alex got the stage all to himself and once a build up proved that he is a force to be reckoned with on the kit. He tantalized the skins as he sat back with his trademark mirrored shades on and double-bass drum set up with the prominent VH logo to either side and when he was done, stood up as the raucous crowd screamed, clapped and threw up their arms in loving approval of his mad abilities.
It’s hard to find the right amount of the right superlatives that describe Eddie Van Halen on the guitar live. He’s one of those infrequent guitarists that is so in tune with his instrument that it almost plays him instead of vice versa. His playing was amazingly taut and, of course, his unmistakable monster tone was top-notch. Eddie also looked very, very healthy and, with a smile on his face all night long, he was having a blast. During his trademark guitar solo that gives the rest of the band a break, he proved he is a guitar god, unlike anyone else on the planet. These seven-plus minutes of absolute guitar nirvana had the audience in an awestruck trance that everybody there would’ve been fine with being stuck in for the rest of their lives.
About four or five songs in, Ed and Dave knuckle bumped and that feel-good moment made the crowd blessed. We all know about their history, so to see them once again connect like this on stage was special. Later on in the night after a “strenuously improvised” version of “You Truly Got Me”, the two shook forearms, which was another awesome look.